


A Long Way Home

by Birdiepuh



Series: I Won't Give Up [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Fake Marriage, Family Bonding, IT'S GAY, It may sounds gloomy and it is but it's also cute and fluffy, It's very very gay and I am not sorry for that, M/M, Mainly centered around Jamison and the other kiddies, More characters to be added when the story goes on, Old Friends, Old Lovers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overwatch Family, Rating May Change, Sibling Bonding, Sorry but Mercy76 is just fake in this work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2018-09-12 22:10:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9092716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdiepuh/pseuds/Birdiepuh
Summary: Jamison never knew anything else beside the scattered wasteland he called his home, until he got ripped out of it by Doctor Angela Ziegler. He has trouble finding his place in the new environment, in between the other adoptive children and desperately demands to be brought home.But Angela and her fake-husband Jack got different plans. Plans which include the whole adoption of the Australian orphan.





	1. Day 0

Bright light dazzled him as soon as he woke up. He narrowed his eyes, luminous yellow stared up at a radiant ceiling, the room flooded in white.

  
The bed in which he laid had sheets in the same pure color, much too pure for this wrecked soul. Feather-like bedding gave in to his weight and swallowed his body, made him feel comfortable.

There were several noises around him, some people talking in a language he didn't understand and a faint beeping, steady like a heartbeat. But everything was so mashed up in his head, there could have also been no sound at all.

  
He wasn't able to make out if it was himself being incapable to apply any strength or if it was his body not willing to move. Due to the numbness he couldn't even feel if it was completely there, for he certainly knows at least two of his limbs should be gone for a while now.

  
Bleary lines manifested in front of him, he blinked a few times until he could make out a hazy person, leaning over him. A strange but well known, cozy feeling overcame him as he gazed into their blue eyes, shimmering with joy. Their broad, angelic smile spread across their face, long blonde hair flattered around their rosy cheeks. They spoke with a soft, bright, but heavily accented voice.

 _  
“_ _Guten Morgen, Sonnenschein_. Must have been a rough night for you.“, they snickered, lighthearted and caring. Their shape became clearer, and he realized he stared at a woman, eyes wide open and full of delight as she looked upon him with a warm motherly glance, reaching out to caress his cheeks carefully. Soft skin met his own, the slight touch left a burning sensation and he would have shrieked anguished if it wasn't for a moment of pure joy which packed him as he writhed his mouth into a crooked smile. His leaden arms raised slowly, racked with pain as he tried to pull her into a tight embrace.

 

But the world faded as quickly as it had come, his limbs sag down on the bed, the people's voices raised in excitement, the steady beeping gained pace, just like his heartbeat raced. The woman called his name apprehensive, his eyes rolled back into his head as one word burned in his mind, connected to the picture of a broad smiling female with blonde long hair.  
  
“ _Mom.“_

 

_\-----------_

 

 _His idea was risky, daring, absurd, ridiculous but ingenious and brilliant enough to work. If it wasn't_ _**her** _ _he was trying to convince. And_ _she_ _was standing across the kitchen table, blonde hair, which is usually tied up into a ponytail, hang_ _s_ _loose and messy through sleep. Some strands hung over the right side of her face. Her petite hand clutched a mug of fresh brewed coffee and her blue eyes stared at him in disbelief, piercing with objections which c_ _a_ _me to her mind before she could even utter them._

_  
There was a brief pause with great, unpleasant silence._

  
_She puckered her lips thoughtfully, shifted her weight from one leg to the other._  
 _“It's much too early for that kind of jokes, Jack.“. She circled her temple with her free hand, completely aware that he was dead-serious. “You have to be kidding me.“_  
 _“Listen, Angela“, he ran a hand through his shock of light blond hair - already starting to grey out due to his age - sighing deeply as he continued with a now slightly annoyed pitch in his voice. “Could you please try to understand me?“_

  
 _“I do understand.“_  
 _Angela took place on the chair in front of him and put her mug down, still embracing it with both hands to feel the warmth. Her eyes shimmering with compassion._  
“I want children myself, _you know that_ _. But this is not the right way, there have to be other_ _opportunities_ _for adoption, don't you think?“  
“Not for a single man, I fear.“, he noted_ _and_ _lean_ _ed_ _back in his chair with a stubborn glint in his steel blue eyes, arms crossed over his chest._

 _  
“Well you are not a single man, are you?“, stated Angela, rais_ _ed_ _both eyebrows, as a solution for the problem seems within their reach. But he averts his gaze, rubb_ _ed_ _the back of his neck while he declared: “A gay couple isn't always allowed to adopt a child. And if you want to adopt from South Korea like in my case,_ _it’s quite impossible for either a single or a gay man._ _“, he turned his gaze again, fac_ _ed_ _her directly._

“ _Do you really think I would ask you if there were other possibilities?“_

 

 _In fact Jack always had been someone who tried to solve his private problems alone if it laid within his feasibility. He preferred to be the person who had everything under control rather than someone who needs constant help. Angela knew this was an unpleasant situation_ _,_ _which has formed from his_ _despair_ _._

  
_“I don't think this is a good solution.“, she sighed, ran a hand through her hair and took a long sip of her coffee. “It.. Just doesn't feel right.“_  
 _The man in front of her leaned forward, eyebrows narrowed and a stern expression on his face, steely eyes turning more grey than blue._  
 _“Is it right to withhold a child a family? Is it right to deprive a gay person their wish for children?“, a short pause in which he rubbed his stubbly chin, scratching it gently._

“ _This is the best solution we have.“, he placed his hands on the table, both meekly clenched into fists, his_ _eyes_ _always directed at her, piercing with such a conviction she had to lean back, turn away in order to escape his glare._

 _  
“Jack.. I understand your argument.. And I really understand what drives you to that idea._ _But_ _it’s insane, do you even know how to make that happen_ _?“_

 

 _He snickered, cross_ _ed_ _his arms over his chest again._  
“Putting up a marriage wouldn't be that difficult since we're living together.“  
A low sigh escaped her and she glanced at the doorway, a look of disquiet on her face as she lowers her voice. “ _That is not what I meant with that. Have you ever considered what Fareeha thinks? Or even more important: Gabriel_ _? They would never agree to a fake marriage.“_

 _Jack made a mocking noise, something like a “Ts-ah!“ from the back of his throat._  
_“Gabriel can leave if he won't agree.“_  
 _“Ist das dein ernst?“, Angela had a worried pitch in her voice._

 

 _He exhaled loudly before continuing in a more calm tone: “It's not like I don't want Gabriel to be with me. But if he_ _won't_ _support my wish for children, what the heck am I supposed to do with him then? I need someone at my side who supports me rather than suppressing me.“_

 _  
She was startled by his statement, left with nothing but pure amazement._ _Jack had been with Gabriel for longer than she knew both of those men. They had a deep connection, something even a stranger could feel. Angela didn't want to believe what he just said, didn't want to imagine that he would leave a love like theirs behind just to fulfill his wish for children. Though, she does believe Jack was stubborn and idiotic enough to actually go through this._

 _  
“Your wish for a child can't be stronger than your feelings for Gabriel, could_ _it_ _?“, she asked carefully, her thoughts_ _were revolving around new possibilities she hasn’t considered before._

_  
He shrugged._

_  
“It may are. Doesn't matter in the end. Let's face the truth, Angela. If I talk with him and he strongly disagrees, I sure don't want to keep on spending my life with him. I still would want children and he would only be in my way achieving so. And if I do this without his knowledge he will most likely pick a fight. After that, it's his own choice if he either stays or leaves. I won't stop him.“_

 

 _Angela sighed deeply, braced her head on her hand as she rethought Jack_ _’_ _s words. A new path opened in front of her. There was a small voice_ _that told her this might be actually worth it._  
“Eigentlich auch gar nicht so absurd.”, was the last thing she thought before she turned back to him.  
_After all, a child to hold and love really is her greatest wish and both of them knew so._

 

“ _At least talk with him.”_

  
\----------

It was in the middle of the night when she was called in for an emergency. A desperate call, the nurse on the phone sounded anxious while they talked about her patient. Their shaky voice asked her to come as soon as possible.

 

There was no time to waste, she hurried to dress up, didn’t even bother to get her lenses and just pushed her glasses up her nose, held by a sleek, black frame. She left behind a sleepy looking woman who wished her great luck with her critical patient, knowing that she won’t be back anytime soon.  
  
She arrived at the hospital only a short time after with no further occurrences, made her way to the staff entrance, hurried through the hallways as a nurse already approached her with a medical record gripped tightly in his hands, a relieved expression on his face.  
“Doctor Ziegler! We are glad you're here now.”

Quickly adjusting her smock, she eyed the nurse swiftly. A man at 27 who just started working for their clinic and personally became one of her favorites, always well organized and never failed to amaze her. He reminded her a bit of herself when she just begun, young and thirsty for knowledge.

  
“Tell me what happened, please.”

The nurse nodded and took a short glance at the record. “It’s the patient you brought from Australia, the boy who had several interventions, some of them on his right arm and leg and now lays on the intensive care unit. There was an incident in which the patient woke up unexpectedly. He tried to stand up and..”

  
Angela turned her gaze to the young nurse, unknowingly interrupting the man.  
“He got several surgeries and an injection of analgesics in an interval of at least 6 hours. He shouldn’t even get the strength to move his limbs, less likely being able to stand yet alone from the pain he must have.”  
“Yes, we know Doctor, that’s why we were pretty surprised too. He managed to take off the respirator and detached the cables and hoses.”  
The doctor sighed, took the medical record and started walking to the intensive care unit, beckons the nurse to follow her.  
  
“When did the last nurse look after him?”  
“The last control was around 00:21. The alarm went off at 00:40. He must have woken up a short time after she left the room.”

 

She looked at her watch, which numbers stared back at her. 01:23. She was called in almost an hour after the incident.  
“Why wasn’t I informed earlier?”, she tucked the record under her arm and rounded a corner, took the hallway to her left. “I demanded to be informed instantly when something happens.”  
  
“Yes, we know, Doctor. But there was a reason why we didn’t call you immediately.”, the nurse hurried to catch up with her quick steps.

“As soon as we approached him, he started to…”, a look of disquiet settled in his eyes, he spun his hands around each other and searched for the right words. “... To freak out, _Miss_.”  
Narrowing her eyebrows at this unpleasant description, Angela stopped walking, turned on the heel to face him directly.  
  
“... I think I need further explanation, Mr. Schuster, though it doesn’t seem like a good one yet.”  
He took a deep breath, eyes darted around to find a spot to focus on before he continued.

  
“One of the nurses tried to chatter with him to calm him down and offered help with his leg and arm but… He just ignored everything they said and started to yell at us instead. Even when he almost fell onto the devices he refused to let anyone touch him and just started to cry out something.. We couldn’t quite understand what he said..  
  
There was no way we could get closer without risking to scare him away. The boy was so frightened that he would have tried to escape, even if he experienced indescribable pain. Can you imagine what he must have went through that he’s so scared of us?”

  
Rubbing his neck thoughtfully he went on.

 

“We figured that he must have suffered from a panic attack and managed to catch him before he could

injure himself or the other nurses and patients. Though... We had to get the security guards in order to hold him still and inject a strong sedative. One of the guards had to get stitched at the hand because the patient bit him out of fright. After that, we decided it would be best to let him rest after an examination and call you in the morning.”  
  
The doctor listened carefully to the nurse's words and closed her eyes for a moment when he was done, letting the words sink in.  
Her fingers tapped restless on the record which was still placed safely under her arm.

 

She started walking again. The room she searched for wasn’t that far away anymore and even though she didn’t know exactly why, she was called in for a reason and couldn’t wait any longer.

 

“But you didn’t.. Why did you change your mind?”

“First we had trouble readjusting the cables and hoses.”, Mr. Schuster kept up with her, explaining. “He squirmed and shrieked whenever we came near him. Understandable, if you consider how confused and scared he is.”. There was real sorrow in his eyes at the mere thought of the boy’s pitiable situation.

“Me and another nurse wanted to wait until he fell asleep again to make sure that the incident does not recur but.. He refused to rest at all. Rather he kept on talking and asked us loudly, and by the way very rude, where his companion is and where we brought him.”  
  
With a puzzled expression she looked back at the nurse, the room already in her field of view with the curtains in front of the windows closed. No way to look inside and get a short glance on the boy and his status.

  
“He was a foundling, there were no relatives back in his home. There was no one around when I found him. Furthermore, it is impossible that he got any companions around here..”

  
They stopped right in front of the door, the doctor ready to open it as soon as she arrived. But the nurse gently touched her shoulder, prevented her to proceed.  
  
“That’s why we called you, Doctor Ziegler. He can’t recall anything of what happened and where he is. He can’t even remember that he had woken up once and was indeed able to talk to us. We tried to explain him.. But he seems to not understand what we were talking about. At this moment, we are completely helpless, Doctor. We can’t even soothe him without any given informations and without him cooperating with us. We can’t examine how far his memory loss goes.”  
  
Honest eyes looked at her as he went on. “You were the only one with him in Australia, therefore you’re the only one who is able to reconstruct what happened and maybe even help him recovering his memories. I am sure it would calm him down and make him understand.”

 

Angela hesitated on pressing down the handle, took another glance at the man before she asked:  
“Do I understand you right, that he can’t remember anything of what happened before we brought him here?”

 

There were no more words from the nurse but a silent nod in agreement, and that’s all she needed to know.  
She opened the door carefully and slow, didn’t want to scare her young patient inside of the room. There was another nurse who checked the devices and stats of the patient, they welcomed their colleagues with a warm “ _Guten Abend._ ”.

The nurse who called her, their anxious murmuring replaced by serenity.

  
_Must have called during the incident. No wonder they sounded so tense_ , she thought to herself.

 

Angela didn’t return the greeting, rather stared back at the radiant yellow eyes which focused her since she opened the door.

 

He had seen them before the nurse could even utter their words.

 

They entered the room, the doctor closely followed by the male nurse who shut the door behind them. Her gentle blue eyes looked upon him. It was hard not to show her pity as she studied his condition.  
  
He was a wretched, fragile child with light blonde, thin hair, mostly pale skin stretched over bones. A side effect of the long periods in which he wasn’t able to find anything edible. His yellow eyes had an eerie gleam in them, almost unnatural, but nothing she wouldn’t expect to actually occur in a radioactive wasteland. Dark rings settled under his eyes, making his stare pierce her like a needle.

  
But she clearly saw the restless nights he must have suffered, shimmering through the fear he tries to hide. Patches covered his face, treating the heavy wounds and his sunburned cheeks. Bandages twine around his head, torso, right arm and leg, only a stump remained of both.  
  
All of it looked freshly made, relieving for Angela.  
If she could trust the nurse's words - and she had no doubt in him - it would have been difficult changing the bandages while he’s awake.

 

Remaining in his sitting position, his gaze followed every single of her movements, twitched between the people which were located in the room. His whole body was tense, alerted, as if he was waiting for the next threat to come up.

 

 _He is only a child_. She took a deep breath and put on a loving smile.  
  
“Good evening.”, she said while she took the record back into both of her hands.  
  
He shrugged and his body started to tremble visibly. A low noise escaped him, something that may was supposed to be a chuckle.

  
“ _Iiii’d_ rather say Good Night, sheila. ‘cause y’know, it’s not really evening anymore.”, the low chuckle turned into a silent laughter, gave a weird crackling noise from the back of his throat. “ ‘sides I dunno what’s so good ‘bout it anyway.” He slurred his words, obviously a bit off through the strong sedative they had to inject.

  
“I am sorry you had to go through so much trouble.”, Angela took a few steps into the room, a gesture that made her patient back away and eyeing her suspiciously, but she kept going: “If we could have known that you wake up so early, I would have made sure that I can be at your side.”  
  
Another croak from the boy, a slightly amused expression on his face. “Yeah, ‘cause that would've made things sooo much better.”, he reached up to scratch the back of his head. “Having a stranger sitting right next to my bed. Last time that happened, I almost fucking died.”

 

“Oh, so you remember something from the time before you got here, do you?”, she asked curiously, her smile widened in felicity.

The patient brushed it off with a shrug.

“Kinda. Y’know stuff that happened long ago.”, he puckered his lips lightly, raised one eyebrow while he watched her getting closer to the bed. Something was off with the woman.

  
“My name is Angela Ziegler.”, she finally introduced herself, made a soft gesture towards her chest. “I am your assigned Doctor.”  
Her words met a wall of childish ignorance and his non existence interest for her, which means that only a sluggish “Uh-huh” replied.  
She sighed low and stroke her hair out of her face before she continued.  
  
“I am here because I need to ask you a few questions. Are you able to answer them for me? I need to know how far your memory loss goes.”, she pulled a stool from the table near the window and placed it next to the bed, made herself comfortable on it.

 

“Ain’t no one’s talking about memory loss, lady.”, he snapped, leaning away from her as far as he could. The doctor noticed how he pressed his arm stump against himself, visibly trying to get out of her reach.

 

Quickly she readjusted her seat, pushed herself a few steps away to respect his personal space. She cleared her throat and overlapped her legs, let the record rest against her knee.

  
“I’ve been informed that you struggled to remember the reason why you have been brought here.” He narrowed his eyes, watched her with unease.

  
A short deep breath and Angela continued.  
“In order to restore your memory I have to know what things you still remember. On that way I can see what I can do about it.”

 

He replied with a grumble, not willing to provide her any information.

 

“Listen, we don’t mean to harm you.”, she started to explain, folded her hands in her lap.

“Everything you say stays in this room. We call that pledge of secrecy.”

With a charming smile she hoped to gain his trust, but he avoided her gaze, pressed his lips into a thin line.

 

To Angela, it looked like he was pouting and, to be honest, it slightly amused her. None of her children tend to pout. And he looked incredibly cute while doing so.

 

This train of thoughts brought her to an idea.

“Okay, how about we make a deal?”

 

His eyes lit up and were back directed at her.

  
To her surprise, he actually leaned in and raised one eyebrow in curiosity.

 

“If you answer me a few questions, I am willing to get you any sweets you would like.”, she saw how his eyes widen astonished, shimmering in disbelief and for a moment she couldn’t quite sort if she made a good offer or scared him away.

The doubts faded as soon as the boy asked, voice scratchy and shaking: “Y’mean the sweet sticky sugary stuff? You got some of that?”, and as soon as she nodded and reassured him that she is indeed able to organize them, his pale face brightened in his pure childish excitement and his body vibrated once he started to giggle happily and delightful.

  
“What’cha wanna know, doc?”, he sat up a bit straighter, eager to answer what he can to gain something in return.  
  
With a satisfied smile she reached into the chest pocket of her smock and pulled out a pen.

Children can be easily persuaded.

  
“Can you tell me your full name?”, she placed the tip of the pen on the record.

  
“Junkrat.”, he spat out, a cheeky grin on his lips.  
  
She eyed him over the rim of her glasses, pushed them back up her nose before she demanded: “Your real name, please.”

  
Again he puckered his lips in a pouting manner and muttered low.  
“Jamison Fawkes.”

  
“Do you know how old you are?”  
He snorted, started to snicker loudly amused.  
“Yeah, like I’m such a dumbass who forgets his age.”, then with a crooked smile, he gave his answer. “13.”  
  
Of course Angela already knew these informations, she wrote them down with a side note: ‘ _Vorhandene Erinnerungen_ ’.

 

Still, as she looked at his age, her eyes heaved down in compassion.  
She kept going, even though her thoughts stuck to the sad number.

  
“Do you remember where you come from?”

“Sure do.”, he hummed. “Straya, mate.”  
He laughed, but a bitter taste flowed along and it didn’t sound as hearty as usual.  
  
“Good.”, she said, gave her light smile to reassure him that he can trust her. But she fears it hasn’t quite reached him yet.  
“Now.. What is the last thing you remember before you woke up?”  
  
There was a tension she didn’t mean to raise. Jamison rolled his eyes thoughtfully, swiftly moved his good hand to stroke his neck, let it rest on his shoulder while he answered.  
  
“Last thing I got in my head is.. that I was out with Hog. We found some good components in the ruins and wanted t’sell ’em for food and such, right?”, there was a broad honest grin on his lips, and she smiled with him, knowing that those things were his life.  
Surviving from day to day with no reachable clear future.  
  
She noted for herself that she is glad to be able to offer him a better existence.  
  
As she turned her eyes back to him, his expression had changed entirely.

 

His childish glow was replaced by an unsettling feeling, creeping up her spine and made her feel like she did something that strongly affected him. His face caught in deep thoughts, eyebrows narrowed, giving him a serious countenance. Radiant yellow was staring at nothing.  
  
Concerning overcame Angela which made her reach out for him.  
“Jamison?”, she addressed him, laid her hand on his shoulder.  
  
He jumped slightly and let out a scream, a wild mixture out of fright and shock.  
“Take yer bloody hands off, cunt!!”, he scoffed, backing off.  
  
Immediately she pulled back, returned to her place in respectful distance and tried to avoid his drilling, menacing gaze.  
  
“Excuse me, I didn’t mean to..”, Angela started but got rudely interrupted.

  
“I get twice the sweets for that!”  
Those words were followed by crossed arms and a strict demanding face. She couldn’t help but laughed before she answered.  
“I think I can arrange that.”  
  
He snickered happily, completely back to his old twitching but silly self.  
She noted down that he may goes through heavy mood swings. Nothing uncommon for a boy his age.

  
“Is everything okay?”  
He looked up to her, slightly confused.  
“You looked.. Distracted. Did you remember something? Maybe something important?”, she asked carefully, didn’t want to trigger anything like she seemed to before.  
  
Jamison just shrugged and gave his crooked smile.  
“Almost. Y’know this feelin’ when ya reaaaalllyy need to remember something?”, Angela nodded. “That’s what I’mma feeling right now.”

He let out a huff and looked around, turned back to her with an amused giggle.

“Bet my mate would’ve been more useful”, his face lit up, suddenly puzzled. “Oi! Where’s that big lug anyway?”  
  
The doctor feared the question for she had no answer for the poor boy. She threw a short glance to the nurse who reassured her that it must be the companion he had mentioned before.  
  
She cleared her throat awkwardly before responding. “I.. Am sorry, but I have no idea who you are talking about.”  
Jamison laughed, obviously entertained by her helplessness.  
“ ‘course, Lady. Like he hadn't asked for me yet.”

And indeed she was helpless.

It may be easy to get a child to talk with you, but the more difficult it is to make them listen.

  
“Jamison, really. I am sorry but.. How do you even imagine anyone around here is supposed…”  
She stopped, sudden realization hit Angela in the face. A question she forgot to answer, something that would make things harder for the poor boy to handle, but hopefully easier for him to understand.  
  
“What’cha talkin’ bout?”, he eyed her suspiciously before he apparently understood what’s going on. “Yer tryin’ to avoid my question! Just like that cunt over there!”, he snarled and pointed at Mr. Schuster, who had been watching them all the time who now backed away and rised his hands in defense.

  
“No, it’s nothing like that.”, Angela tried to explain, but Jamison didn’t even hear her words.

 

“Bet you didn’t even let him inside, ain’t I roight? I tell ya: He’s not gonna be happy about that, once he..-”  
“Jamison!”, she raised her voice and her hand threatening. “Please. Listen to me.”  
Much to her surprise, he went quiet, even though he looked ready to throw up another flood of complaints against her.

 

His expression looked similar to the ones of her children when they did something bad and get caught.

 

The inevitable fear of a tantrum from their Mother.

 

She took a deep breath and faced him directly. Slowly she lowered her hand and pinned him with her gentle blue eyes while she said calmly: “We are not in Australia anymore. We are in Switzerland.”


	2. Chapter 2

“And what happened then?”, she was curious, but not entirely there.  
“He didn't want to believe me and it was nearly impossible to convince him because he didn’t want to listen to me.”. Angela sighed and tried not to distract herself too much from cutting tomatoes. She saw enough injuries for the day and most certainly didn't need to decorate her hands with scars.   
“Didn't take long until he found out himself that he isn't in Australia anymore, though.”  
She looked up from her wooden cutting-board, threw a glimpse over to her loved one.

Her black, silky hair was pushed back into a tiny ponytail, dark skin glistened in the smooth light of the heated kitchen and brown eyes focused the pan she was holding with her strong hands.  
Fareeha was indeed a gorgeous woman, which description Angela felt like wasn't fair enough for her beauty.

“Do you even listen?”, she interrupted, laid the knife beside the cutting-board and leaned over to get her attention.  
Sharp eyes widened a little in surprise when Angela moved into her field of sight, softened as soon as she saw her caring face.  
“Of course I do, but I also listen to the rice.”. The corners of her mouth twitched into a joking smile.

Angela went with it, inched a little closer to lay her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder while responding with a low, tender voice: “And what does the rice have to say?”  
“That it's going to burn if you don't watch it.”, she chuckled and pressed a quick kiss onto her lips.   
The doctor giggled along, returned the kiss on her cheek before moving away, over to the pot with the slow cooking rice to lift the lid and take a short glance.

She knew it would be easier with a proper rice cooker, but she wasn't ready to spend her money on something they wouldn't use on a daily basis. Unlike the coffee machine she bought only a month ago, to which she maintains a more romantic relationship than to her 'husband'.

“Are you implying that I should stop talking, _Schätzl_?”, Angela teased, watching how Fareeha's face reddened slightly in the corner of her eye while she stirred the rice with a spoon.  
It wasn't done yet so she covered it up again, left it to cook in peace.

“You know I don't mean it like that.”, her significant other explained. The doctor nodded in agreement and leaned on the counter to look upon her.   
“I guess I shouldn't talk and cook at the same time.”. A low sigh escaped her.

Too many things happened ever since she brought Jamison to Switzerland and there was no outlet for her frustration but work to keep her thoughts on track.   
She craved for a conversation, some place to leave her worries at, rather than herself, but figured it wasn't fair overwhelming Fareeha with all those informations when they finally had a moment for themselves again.

“You are right.”, the voice of her loved one jolted her awake, brought back her thoughts which dared to wander off topic.

She wanted to answer, say something before they could return preparing their dinner, reassuring she was glad to be able to spend some time with her, but Fareeha was way ahead.  
She moved the pan aside, turned off the stove with one quick swipe before facing her again, lazily leaned against the counter.  
“Now we are not cooking anymore. What did you want so say?”, a gentle, caring smile approached her.  
Angela couldn't help but chuckle at this gesture, glanced over to the clock while she stroked a strand of hair out of her sight.

“Fareeha, _Liebling_. We can't just let the others starve.”, she replied with a tired smile. “We were already halfway done.”  
“I don't think Jack or Gabe are going to mind.”, Fareeha answered with a slight giggle. “They keep us waiting long enough when it's their turn anyway.”

She moved closer to the slightly smaller woman, gently caressed her arms while she looked upon her with a loving gaze.  
“Besides, it wouldn't be nice starting dinner when one of the kids isn't home yet.”

Angela leaned in to the subtle touch, embedded her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.   
Fareeha was right, though the worry over her oldest child, who wanted to be home a while ago crept cold over her back. But the doctor didn't want to think about this right now, she could trust her baby to come home safe and sound.  
She preferably used her energy to slowly wrap her arms around the taller one's waist, taking a deep breath and giving herself to the warmth and love Fareeha emanates, already feeling how she starts to recharge.

“I guess you are right, officer.”, a low chuckle escaped her as she snuggled her head against her collarbone, adding in an admiring way: “As always.”

Strong arms envelop her like a cuddly blanket and her voice spoke up to her, asking once again what she wanted to say before.  
One more time she took a deep breath before she found where she had left their conversation behind, but figured she wanted to leave it where it was.  
“It was nothing important.. Really. I was just rambling.”, she moved away, brought just enough distance between them so she could look into Fareeha's eyes. “I’m just.. A little bit worried over Jamison.”

“That doesn't sound like it's unimportant.”, she tilted her head, carefully stroked her cheek with her warm hand. “Why are you worried, my angel?”

A low sigh escaped her and Angela knew she couldn't just drop this topic now.   
Fareeha was just as much involved in this as Jack, and both of them didn't know enough about the whole situation yet.  
“Alright, listen.”, she surrendered, placing her hands on the other one's arms before continuing where she was. “His condition won't get better. I mean, it improved since we got him out of Australia, but now it stagnates. He isn't cooperating with us, he doesn't drink and still hasn't gained any more weight. Furthermore made his new doctor a few bad decisions, if you ask me.”

Suddenly her head felt incredibly heavy, too heavy to be able to hold it herself. It made her let it fall against Fareeha's shoulder, a low whine came over her lips.

“Those are good reasons to be worried about.”, her loved one returned, caressing her back gently before she laid her arms around her for a warm embrace.  
Angela nodded in agreement and followed her gesture, tired arms moving up from her waist to her shoulders, left them to rest around her neck.

“I wish I could spend more time with him, but now that they assigned him a new doctor I can't even pass by anymore. And when I visit him after work he's mostly already asleep.”, she sighed desperately and buried her face in her lover's shoulder. “I’m stuck.”

Fareeha listened with care to her angel's worries, carefully resting her head against the one embedded on her. She hummed lowly while she thought of a solution, pressed a quick kiss on her temples when she found one.  
“I think you need to calm down first. Everything around here is new for him.”, fondly she lifted Angela's head off her shoulder, placed her hands on her warm cheeks.   
She wouldn't be surprised when the heat was caused by fever. It wasn't uncommon for both of them to get sick from their build up stress. She wished they could go on vacation, a few days away from work and responsibilities.

“If you ask me, I would get someone around his age to talk with him. He needs a friend.”, a loving smile crept over her lips as she saw her angel's blue eyes lit up.   
“I think..”, she tapped her chin, playfully looking around and acting like she didn't have someone in mind already. “... Lúcio would be perfect for this. He's excited to meet Jamison since you first talked about him.”

Angela stared at Fareeha for a moment until a smile found it's way on her face.  
“You know.. That actually sounds like an idea that could work, Schatz. But..”, another sigh escaped her, another concern rummaged in her mind. “I'm not sure. Jamison is.. special. He may not like him.”

Fareeha laughed over her concern, swiftly ran a hand through Angela's blonde hair before reassuring with an amused smile: “I want to meet that person who doesn't like Lúcio.”  
Angela joined her with a low giggle. The possibility that Jamison wouldn't like him was higher than she liked it to be, but it was worth a try.

“Alright, I get it. You are right.”, she uttered a warm laugh, “As always.”  
She leaned in slowly, inching closer to her girlfriend's face, desperately wanting to steal a kiss from her mellow lips.  
The sound of the front door being opened and carefully closed again jolted them out of their familiar intimacy, a melodic voice fluted through the rooms, chirping: “I'm back home!”

Wheels rattled over the wooden floor. The muffled sound grew closer until the oldest one of Angela's children finally found their way through the door and skated into the kitchen, bags full of groceries in their hands.   
A bright smile formed on their lips as their dark brown eyes spotted the women, still wrapped in a tight embrace, standing next to the dining table.  
“Uhm.. Should I leave again?”, they asked jokingly, already giggling from their own joke.

Angela took a moment to eye her son before she softly shook her head and gradually detached herself from her girlfriend.  
“ _Engelchen_ , I told you not to skate in the house. It's dangerous.”, she said, moving a hand to cup her cheek.  
Her son chuckled amused before he lifted the heavy bags onto the table, a playful smile on his face. “Mum, come on. You know I won't trip.”  
“You say that until you fall and break your arm.”, she crossed her arms, a serious glance in her eyes.

His chuckle turned into laughter and he moved over to press a quick kiss onto his mother's cheek.  
“Now you're exaggerating.”  
She couldn't help but laugh too, carefully stroking her son's hair before she added: “Let me have my worries.”, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

There was no more protest to come from his side and under the caring eyes of his mother he sat down and removed the skates to place them safely on the ground.  
Angela nodded approving, and rested her hands on her hips while she watched him getting back on his feet.  
“You are late, _Engelchen_. I thought Gabe wanted to take you with him on the way home from the shelter.”

Lúcio moved around the dining table, quickly high-fived Fareeha and started to help her unpack the groceries before he answered.  
“Yeah, but there was an emergency at the shelter and I had to help.”  
He looked over to Angela only to be greeted by a confused and questioning look on her face. A sigh escaped him and he emptied his hands to explain.

“Alright: I went the usual tour after school. Getting food for the animals and bringing it to the shelter. Got all kinda stuff for the dogs and the cats, and aw man you should've seen them wagging their tails when you get in! It's so.. Uh..-”, he stopped himself before he went too far off track, his Mum already throwing him the denying glare of not getting a pet.

“Anyway. I got there, helped them feed the pets as I see they got kittens. Kittens, Mum! And 'coz no one told me there are kittens I didn't get anything for them.”, his brown eyes turned a little sad at the thought and Angela could already tell which direction his story would take.

“So I had to hurry up and get back to the pet store before it closes to get milk and toys for the kitties. Then I had to get all the way back to the shelter, bringing them the stuff and playing with the kitties for a bit. Which... Are all looking for a home, by the way.”. Lúcio's face lit up a little with those words, his eyes grew big as they shimmered at Angela in a pleading way.

“And I'm sure they will find loving homes, which don't house a middle-aged man with a cat-hair-allergy.”, she added, and moved over to gently run a hand over her son's dreads.  
Lúcio sighed a little and nodded in agreement, not being able to hide the slight disappointment in his voice.  
“Yeaah, I guess.”

His mum took the opportunity to lead the topic back on track as she put a hand on the grocery bag before she asked with a concerned look on her face: “And Gabriel made you walk home with all these groceries on your own?”

“No, of course not. I mean.. Okay, it.. It really looks like he did.”, he admitted, handing Fareeha the goods which need to be stored in the fridge.  
“But he didn't. Because I told him he doesn't need to wait for me.” A grin came over his face and Angela shook her head over him.

“Alright, okay. He's out of this for now.”, she took a few steps to come closer to the table.  
Lúcio was humming along to the tune buzzing out of the headphones which dangled around his neck, while Fareeha excitedly announced how she's going to have a week off in a few months and how they could spend the time to work on Lúcio's football skills.

The mother smiled gently, taking a look into the bags her son brought home.  
“Lúcio?”, she asked, picking up a package that definitely didn't look like any sort of food. “What is this?”

Ripped out of his small talk, he faced his mum, quickly examining what item in question she hold up.  
“Oh, those.”, he chuckled lightly and took them out of his mother's hands. “Those are bed sheets. See? With little smileys on it.”  
He tapped onto the little picture printed on the front side. Angela leaned closer, pushing her glasses up her nose.   
The picture showed a pair of bright-yellow bed sheets, covered in friendly smiling suns.

“And what did you buy them for? I thought you are happy with the sheets you got.”  
Lúcio put the package on the table and proceeded to empty the bags of all the small things he added to the grocery list himself.

“Well, I thought..”, he started, but got interrupted by Fareeha, who picked up a plushie which Lú just laid down on the table.

“Oh my, is this a Koala? I loved them when I was still a child.”, she grinned widely while rotating the stuffed animal in her hands. “It's so sad you can't find them anywhere anymore.”

“ _Liebling_ , you loved all kinds of animals when you were a child.”, Angela added, taking the plush toy away from her to place it next to the bedsheets.  
“What did you want to say, _Engelchen_?”

Lúcio looked up a little confused, before he rolled up a package of gummibears he bought himself to store it safely in his pockets.  
“Oh uh..”  
He chewed them up quickly, a displeasent look on Angela's face, reminding him of the sweets-before-dinner-rule in their household.  
A sheepish smile came over his face and he returned to the topic.

“Well… The uh.. The bedsheets.”, he scratched the back of his neck, his face beaming from excitement. “I bought them for uh.. Jamison..? It was Jamison, right? Anyway, I bought them for him. So he'd have pretty bedsheets when he finally comes home.”

The doctor listened closely to his explanation and gently placed a hand over her heart in awe. Her gaze went over the items he brought home and she smiled softly.  
Maybe her loved one was right and Lúcio was indeed the right person to gain Jamison's trust.

Fareeha, who had half an ear in their conversation looked over to Angela, a wicked grin on her face, knowing what she thought about. She took the word, before the doctor could utter something.

“Aw, that's so nice of you, Lúcio.”, she said, inching closer to the little boy, her eyes still on her girlfriend's face. She would have to tickle it out of her.  
Angela rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, ready to listen to the poor attempts of inconspicuous hints.  
“I bet you are veeery excited to finally meet him, right?”, she gave a warm laugh and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Lúcio laughed with her, his eyes glowing up. “Of course I am!! Lena and I've been talkin' since weeks about what we're gonna show him.” He smiled a bright smile, before turning it down a little. “If.. He wants to see it of course. Don't wanna pressure him.”

Fareeha kneeled down to Lúcio, both hands on his shoulders.  
“Wouldn't it be awesome if you could visit him in the hospital? Helping him out, getting used to all this stuff here?”

He took a deep breath out of excitement, quickly looked up to his Mum, who raised her eyebrows in question.  
“I mean.. If it's possible?”, he asked sweetly, his eyes growing big and shimmering at Angela in anticipation.

She stared at him for a moment, feeling the grin of Fareeha expecting her to announce what they've been talking about before.  
A low sigh escaped her, she shook her head for a moment.  
“It's.. Possible. In theory, of course.”, the thrill in Lúcio's eyes started to fade. She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Lúcio, I.. I would love you to meet him, really.”, she bent down to get on eyelevel with him, gently put her hand on his shoulder.  
“But he's fragile. I don't know how he would react to you.”

Lúcio gave a little hum and tilts his head to the side.   
“.. Is he fragile.. Or is he ...Scared?”, he narrowed his eyes, visibly concerned. “I remember how people used to call my situation fragile, when I was just super frightened of everything around here.”  
  
“Okay, you could be right... But some people do weird things when they are scared.” Her son's eyes just grew more stubborn with each word. She looked up to her girlfriend for backup, but she just hold up her hands in defense, had nothing to say on this topic.

“I would love to help him. If he's scared, I wanna show him that there's no reason to be.”, he had a loving smile on his face, and Angela had no choice but join in with his smile.

“I know you do. And I'm sure you would do great, _Engelchen_.”, she took a deep breath, carefully placed a hand on his cheek.  
“... You would be all alone in the room with him. We.. Already figured that too many people irritate him.”

Lúcio's smile formed into a wide grin, knowing he'd soon be successful.  
“No prob. I bet he's nice. Maybe he'll feel better when I give him a bit insight how it was for me.”

Angela laughed softly, gently stroking his face.  
“... Alright, fine. I will take you with me tomorrow. It will only be for a little while, but it should be enough for the beginning.”

“Tomorrow??”, her son hummed happily, gave a little snort to hide an excited squeal, quickly bit his lower lip to play it cool. “Awesome. Just gotta call the shelter to tell them I will be there later then.”  
There was another kiss on Angela's cheek, before he grabbed his skates and the paper bags and scooted out of the kitchen.

His mother watched him leave and stood up straight again, glancing over to Fareeha, who in return was back at the stove to take care of their dinner.  
Slowly, she came closer to carefully wrap an arm around her waist, her head dropped heavily against her shoulder.

Fareeha looked at her girlfriend and leaned down to press a kiss into her hair.  
“Your hair got pretty long.”, she commented, took her free hand to stroke through Angela's golden blonde ponytail.

“I've had other things in mind than getting a haircut lately.”, she murmured back, nuzzling her head against the other's shirt.  
“God, I don't know what to do if he doesn't like Lúcio.”

“Angela, my heart.”, once again Fareeha abandoned the stove to face her girlfriend, placed two warm hands on burning cheeks to watch her carefully.  
“Don't worry too much about this. Everything will go fine. Lúcio is wonderful, I doubt he will do something wrong.”

Another sigh escaped Angela's tired lips, she looked into the deep brown eyes of Fareeha.  
“... You are right.”, she answered, smiling lovingly at her. “As always.”

\------------------------------

When he woke up, he was just happy.  
He was always glad to meet new people, but this one was special. A supposed-to-be new part of the family.

As soon as he got home, excitement set in.  
Curiosity.  
How would he be? What does he look like?  
Not that looks would matter.  
He just hoped he'd be nice.

The moment they arrived at the hospital, a little bit of fright mixed into his pool of feelings.  
He was a little worried.  
What if he wasn't nice?  
What if he'd say something wrong, and their soon-to-be new family member wouldn't like him?

Quickly he shook his head, grabbed his mother's hand tightly as they walked down the hallway, each step bringing him closer to the stranger's room.  
There was no place for negative thoughts.  
Not now, not yet.  
Only room for positivity.

“It's alright to be nervous, _Engelchen_.”, his mother's voice spoke up. He blinked a few times to get out of his thoughts before he looked up to her.

“I'm not nervous. Just excited.”, he declared, putting on a wide, beaming grin.  
She chuckled softly and they continued their way to the room.

He took a look around.  
It's been a while since he had been in the intensive care unit himself and only a little has changed ever since.

“I'm glad they moved him into a new room. It's much more friendly and technologically advanced than the old one.”, Angela chirped into their silence, holding his hand a little more tight.  
“And the nurse told me his mood seemed to have improved since.”

She wanted to continue ranting over the enhancements the room offers, but she paused as her eyes catched on something.  
Or someone.

Lúcio and his mother were near their destination, as the doors slid open and a person - another doctor, gained their interest.

Tall, slim with long wiry arms and claw-like hands, clutching a clipboard. Her slender fingers, fragile like twigs, flick almost bored through the pages attached. Her thin body dressed in a well fitting smock, not hiding curves since there aren't any to show off in the first place.

Angela, who stood still for a moment, bringing their tour to a hold, gripped her sons hand tight, desperately wanting to move on and passing the woman without being forced into a conversation, and Lúcio couldn't do anything, but hope for the same.

Their hopes though viciously hit a wall and shattered on the ground as they heard her slow, uppish voice speaking up to them.

“Doctor Ziegler.”, she started, a brash smile graced her lips. “I didn't expect to see you around here so soon. It appeared to me that you relished to work as a night owl.”

Angela pressed her lips to a thin line, put her hands on her son's shoulders to pull him closer as she spoke. “Doctor O'Deorain.”  
She gave a quick nod, not wanting to waste more time than necessary on her.

Doctor O’Deorain on the other hand had different plans.

Her knowing eyes got stuck on the child, which were to accompany her colleague.  
“Lúcio.”, a shudder run down his spine. He backed away , holding tightly onto the straps of his backpack.  
“Tell me.. How are your legs?”

He glanced down, lifting his right leg up a bit to examine it.  
“Pretty good I think. Got no problems with them.”, he smiled at her politely.  
There was a moment of silence, her eyes still watching him as he cleared his throat.  
“...Thank you, Doctor O’Deorain.”, he added quickly.

“Fascinating..”, she whispered before she stood up tall again. “Well, it was.. Pleasant to see you. But I got important work which needs to be done.”

There was a smile on her face as she looked into Angela's eyes. But it wasn't friendly, nor polite.  
An eerie grin whichs meaning was only meant to be understood by the other Doctor.

“I assume we will meet again later, Angela.”

With those words she started to walk away. Her presence left them with a weird feeling in their guts.

Lúcio looked up to his mother, her eyes just scooting back to him after she watched her colleague disappear around a corner.

“... Is she his new doctor?”, he asked shyly.

She took a deep breath, nodded slow but certain. “Yes. I asked them to appoint him a different doctor, but sadly we don't have a big pool of choices in case of amputations here.”

Angela started to walk again and mildly pulled him with her.  
He hummed low, hooked his thumb into the left strap of his bag.   
“No wonder he's so scared.”, was the last thing he said implying her for now.

It just took them a few more steps to arrive in front of the door. Angela leaned down to place both her hands on her son's shoulders.  
“Alright, here we are.”, she gifted him a bright smile, though her eyes seemed worried. “You got everything you need. There is a phone close by and you got your smartphone. If anything happen, call me asap.”

He nodded quickly, his eyes already more on the door than on his mother. “Yes, got it.”  
He wanted to take a step, but his Mom stopped him.  
“And when I say ‘asap’ I mean ‘asap’.”, she narrowed her eyes to look at him with a serious glance. “Jack will come around to pick you up in around an hour. Don't do anything stupid.”  
Her face softened again and she pulled him close for a short but loving hug.  
“I wish you a lot of fun, _Engelchen_.”

Lúcio returned the hug tightly, pressing a kiss onto Angela's cheek.  
“No worries, Mom. I got this. Isn't the first time in the hospital, right?”, he chuckled heartily and let go of his Mom.  
“See you at dinner then.”, he added as he watched her stand up.  
There was a wave goodbye and his mother was gone, about to get to work.

He faced the door and excitement grew in his chest, the fright still present but not as threatening as before.  
A deep breath before he laid his hand on the touchpad and the doors slid open.  
He took one, two steps into the room, took a quick glance around.

“Hello, Hello?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -sweating nervously-
> 
> So I did great trying to write regulary!!!  
> Sorry that it took me almost.. 2 years to update this.  
> But I couldnt get it out of my head!!!  
> Means there's finally the second chapter out for you!
> 
> I also changed the name of the Fanfiction, since the old one seemed unfitting to me at this point.
> 
> I hope you still enjoy it, still want to read it and aren't too mad at me for taking so long to update!
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter and actually coming this far.
> 
> English is not my first language, so I am always happy if there are any critical comments trying to help me out with mistakes and wrong usage of words etc. etc.  
> The first chapter is a bit confusing, I know, but it's what I am actually planning, it get's clearer with each chapter.
> 
> Again thank you for reading and for any comments, reviews or questions you can also reach me over my tumblr: http://birdiepuh.tumblr.com/ .
> 
> I wish you happy holidays and a wonderful new year


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